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Saturday Sharing – Episode 5

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Saturday Sharing

Today I’d like to share with you my 6 favorite bodybuilders. Your job is to leave your own list of 6 items in the comments or on your own blog that relate to the topic this week. If you decide to put the list on your own blog, be sure to leave a comment with a link to your blog. Please note that permission is NOT granted top copy the question to a forum or message board for the purpose of having the readers participate in the answering of the topic.

Topic for Saturday, March 31, 2012: Favorite bodybuilders.

  1. Jay Cutler
  2. Phil Heath
  3. Branch Warren
  4. Evan Centopani
  5. Eduardo Correa
  6. Lionel Beyeke

If you have a Saturday Sharing you'd like to see, send me an email. I would love to feature it in the future.

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How to Use Intensity in Weight Training

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How to Use Intensity in Weight Training

To me, intensity in weight training brings about the most results. Here I am speaking of High Intensity Training (HIT) as introduced by Arthur Jones, inventory of the Nautilus line of gym equipment. I have tried body part splits and I have tried HIT full body training and I believe I had the best results from HIT. In fact, I am seriously considering returning to HIT after my show won April 14, 2012. There is just something about heavy weights taken to failure that my body likes. There seems to be no better way to bulk up with my body type than HIT.

The following are some tips for using intensity in weight training. Read through them and give this training system a try for at least 12 weeks. Follow the guidelines and see if it makes a difference for you.

  • Perform 1 to 3 sets of 4-6 exercises for the lower body and 6-8 exercises for the upper body, and not more than 12 exercises in any given workout (for the most part). Every set is taken to positive failure.
  • Utilize the repetition inroad principle to determine the optimum repetition range for your body and stick to that for the entire 12 weeks. You can find out more about this by subscribing to my email list via the form in the sidebar to the right.
  • Perform each set to positive failure (ie. you can't maintain proper form any longer). When you reach the top end of the repetition inroad, add 5% to the bar for the next workout. Make use of the overload principle of training.
  • You want to work the largest muscles first and move very quickly from one set to another and from one exercise to another. 30 seconds would be considered a long rest period with this type of training. This will introduce a cardiovascular element to your training.
  • Use good control throughout the movement, accentuating the negative. In other words, don't let the weight stack clang together.
  • Use slower repetition cadence. You are going for time under tension along with positive failure. Don't lose sight of that fact.
  • Isolate the muscle group you are training on a given exercise and be sure to breathe properly throughout the set.
  • Always attempt to increase either repetitions or weight or both. You want to beat the previous workout in as many exercises as you can.
  • Train no more than 3 times a week. Yes, I know this is hard for some of you, but it works. Trust me on this one!
  • Keep an accurate training log to track your progress.
  • Work in some of the advanced HIT principles every so often — things like forced repetitions, breakdown sets, negative only sets, etc.

To me, if you follow these principles you cannot help but get bigger and stronger. Your body will recover faster (very important for us older lifters) and you will enjoy some great gains.

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How to Win With Meal Planning

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How to Win With Meal Planning

Meal planning seems to be one of those things that people are afraid of. I often wonder why anyone is afraid of planning their meals. To me, not planning ahead on the meals is a recipe for failure. In this article I give you x tips on how to win with meal planning.

  • Planning meals handles calorie counting. When you are trying to diet for a show or a photo shoot, you need to keep track of your calories. Planning your meals ahead of time takes care of that for you. Calorie counting is not about tracking calories as you eat, it is about planning a menu and counting the calories during the planning process.
  • Planning meals gives you strength. Each of us has been in the situation where we forgot to bring a meal with us to an event. Planning your meals ahead of time will remove this issue. You will have your food prepared in advance so all you will need to do is bring the food along with you wherever you are going.
  • Planning meals keeps you on plan. By planning and cooking your meals ahead of time you will stick to your plan. You are less likely to cheat on your diet if you have planned ahead. I personally find this works with everything, including cardio exercise.
  • Planning meals gets you lean. As mentioned, by avoiding cheating on your diet you are bound to get leaner and leaner. Meal planning assists with this process. 
  • Planning meals gives you success. The focus that you get from planning your meals is going to bleed over into other areas. This is going to bring about success for you.

Meal planning is not something to be afraid of. It is something you should embrace because of the good things that happen when you plan ahead. Tell us your strategies for planning meals by leaving a comment below.

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How to Build Your Triceps

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How to Build Your Triceps

The triceps are an important muscle group when it comes to the look of your arms. Well-developed triceps also make your biceps look larger by giving them a bigger peak. The triceps give you an amazing look to your arms when developed properly. You will see great arm growth if you work your triceps extremely hard. Today we examine how to build your triceps.

My own tips for building massive triceps involves the usual. Make sure you get a good squeeze on the muscle. with triceps, you want to go beyond the burn. The burn is merely lactic acid. Push beyond that, but be aware of the difference between burn and pain. Never train in pain.

As you push beyond the discomfort you will find that you lift more and more weight. Take your time on each repetition and make it count. The results you get will speak for themselves.

If you have any great tips for training the triceps we'd love to hear about them. You can add a comment below and share your favorite triceps training article or video or your own personal tip. Let's get a discussion going about the triceps training protocol.

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Why Leptin Sensivity Matters

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Why Leptin Sensitivity Matters

Leptin sensitivity is a topic that has become near and dear to my heart. In this article I will teach you what leptin is, what it does and why leptin sensitivity matters. My request is that you take this information to heart and use it in your own nutrition plan.

What is Leptin?

Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells. It works through the brain to manage your appetite and your metabolism. Leptin causes the central nervous system to kick into gear and take action to control appetite and metabolism by working closely with the insulin response in your brain. This hormone has been shown to even make people more likely to exercise.

What Leptin Does

Leptin works to signal your brain to stop eating. It is present in the blood stream as a messenger that our appetite should be shut down. As people go on a diet and start to lose fat, their leptin levels drop. That will eventually slow the fat loss. Your body will sense that the leptin levels have dropped and it will assume that your metabolism needs to slow down. This messenger is quite effective.

Why Leptin Sensitivity Matters

If your leptin receptors are overstimulated they will eventually become desensitized and will no longer respond to leptin. This means that your body will no longer be able to regulate your hunger levels and your response will be to eat–continuously. This is why leptin sensitivity is so important. If you find yourself hungry all the time, it is likely that your leptin sensitivity level has dropped. You need that sensitivity to be high so that your body can and will control your appetite. Without it you will gain weight (and correspondingly, fat gain as well).

How to Restore Leptin Sensitivity

The only way to restore leptin sensitivity is to remove the stimulus in the first place. This is done through changes in your diet. One protocol that has been recommended is as follows:

  • 50 g. of protein within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning.
  • No snacking or eating after 7:30 p.m.
  • Begin by keeping carbs below 50 g.

This standard protocol will help bring back leptin sensitivity.

What has your experience been with leptin levels? Let us know in the comments below.

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